Jordan delivers medical aid to his field hospital in Gaza
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Monday that his country’s air force had airlifted “urgent medical aid” to the kingdom’s field hospital in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military confirmed the unusual move, saying in a statement that it was a coordinated effort by neighboring countries.
In a message on social mediathe king said it was “our duty to help our brothers and sisters who were injured in the war against Gaza.” Photos shared in his post showed soldiers using a forklift to load a large wooden box with a Jordanian flag onto a military plane.
The Israeli blockade and recent siege of Gaza have left a number of hospitals out of use, and aid deliveries through the Rafah crossing with Egypt have been inadequate, humanitarian groups say. This appeared to be the first time in this war that aid was dropped into Gaza from the air.
The Israeli military said the shipment contained medical supplies and food “to be used by medical staff for patients.”
Dropping aid from a plane required a “complex logistical operation,” Jordanian Communications Minister Muhannad Mubaideen said in a television interview on Monday.
The move comes amid growing condemnation by Jordanian leaders of Israel since the country began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip and largely prevented food, water and electricity from entering the besieged enclave, in response to Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on 7 October.
On Wednesday, the kingdom ordered the immediate recall of its ambassador to Israel over the war. Similarly, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi ordered the Israeli ambassador in Amman – who had already left the country – not to return.
“The return of the ambassadors will be linked to Israel ending its war on Gaza and the humanitarian disaster,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Mr. Safadi also bluntly told Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken at a news conference in Amman, the Jordanian capital, on Saturday to “stop this madness.”
Israel and Jordan maintain a crucial regional alliance, and the kingdom is the custodian of the Aqsa complex in Jerusalem, a key holy site that is often a source of dispute and conflict with the Palestinians.
At the same time, large crowds across the kingdom, many of whom are of Palestinian descent, have protested over the past month, demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Some have demonstrated daily in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman.
Rana F. Sweis contributed reporting from Amman, Jordan.